From Science to God (Peter Russell) – Part 1

How can we understand consciousness in terms of our scientific understanding of the material world? Peter Russell explains that for years, the idea of consciousness was ignored by the scientific community. Recently, scientists have begun trying to provide a scientific explanation of consciousness, to no avail. Russell argues that they are asking the wrong question.

If we believe the material world is real, as many do, then we believe that it must be the cause of consciousness and perceptions. Russell says that consciousness cannot be explained through our belief of the material world, because the material world that we perceive is nothing more than a recreation that our mind makes. In the end, the only thing we can be sure of is our consciousness, not of the material world.